Sony LIV’s popular young adult romcom web series College Romance is in its fourth and final season. The Telegraph Online spoke to the show’s cast members — Gagan Arora (Bagga), Apoorva Arora (Naira) and Shreya Mehta (Deepika) — on their journey with the show since 2018, how it has influenced them as actors and the camaraderie it has fostered.
The Telegraph Online: College Romance comes to an end. What’s the feeling?
Shreya Mehta: Sad! It’s how one would be feeling at the end of the final year in college or school. It’s a farewell kind of feeling.
Gagan Arora: It’s a mix of emotions. We are excited and thrilled about the new season, but we are nostalgic because we are going to miss each other.
Apoorva Arora: We made the show keeping the audience in mind and the audience made it what it is. Also, there’s a feeling that however we meet, it’s not going to be the same anymore.
Gagan Arora: Don’t say that, Apoorva!
Tell us about the first day of the shoot of College Romance Season 1 and the last day of the shoot of the final season.
Shreya: The first day was our narration. We met at The Timeliners (the makers) office in Delhi. One by one, we met each character for the first time. There was a school-like feeling where we needed to know each other. We ate together. There was good energy. And, on the last day, we hugged and cried after the last shot. On the first day, we spoke the most and on the last day, we spoke the least.
Gagan: On my first day, I remember waiting for the shot the whole day but it didn’t happen due to some technical glitch. I rehearsed with the makeup artist. Then I shot the canteen scene for the first time, which became an iconic scene for me and the character. On the first day, the emotion was of nervousness and it was the same on the last day. We go to other projects for work but College Romance was our summer vacation. That was how we shot it.
Apoorva: On the first day, I was sceptical of what I was getting into. I was unsure and scared. As we kept shooting, I understood what comedy could be. The last day was poetic. It was a night shoot and after we finished, we stood together quietly. It surprised me that I was so attached to my co-actors.
What’s new in the final season?
Apoorva: In the earlier seasons, the problems that the characters faced were created by themselves, but this time the problems are more real as college ends and it’s about what the characters would do next. It was fun and challenging.
Gagan: As actors, we also discovered something new about ourselves every season. The first season was a fun one, the second was a bit emotional. In the third, it came back and talked about the LGBTQX community.
In the fourth, we talk about adulting. As actors also, our point of view towards life has changed from when we had started. Apoorva and I wrote a monologue as the directors told us to. We have been living the characters for the longest time, so we were told to bring it up… if we felt something. That moment was very special.
Shreya: We are not thinking about the small things this season. We are thinking individually for ourselves. The characters have grown up, so adulting starts this season.
While shooting College Romance, what did you discover about yourself as an actor? And what are your biggest learnings?
Apoorva: The one thing that has changed is the way I approach scenes now. I have started enjoying comedy. I always did, as I knew my timing was decent, but to be able to improvise in a comedy space and not make it a mess is what I have learnt. Also, I learnt a bit of comedy writing. I have done my warmup. As they say, comedy is serious business. I have also learnt to let go and relax. Letting go and chilling can be fun, which is what I have learnt from my character.
Gagan: The change I have noticed in me is I used to rehearse more but by the time I reached Season 4, I realised that I enjoy spontaneity more. I have also understood that having reliable friends is way more important than any material thing in life, especially for actors. We need friends who can be honest around us and tell us the truth on our face.
What are you doing next?
Gagan: I have done a Prime Video horror series, which will release beginning of next year. I will start shooting a film soon but before that, I am taking a break.
Apoorva: In the last two years, I have only shot things that haven’t been released. This year, I have a lot of releases. I have a show coming out soon. Then, there’s an interactive film, an indie film with Jatin Sarna, and Rohan Sippy’s show where I play a very different character with a very different look.
Shreya: I have a couple of music videos. I have also shot for the Rohan Sippy show, which is an adaptation of an American show, UnREAL, where I play a crazy character.
